Learn the ins and outs of birdwatching in Northern Colorado

Sandhill Cranes spend the late winter and early spring in Monte Vista. The thousands of birds attract thousands of birdwatchers every March for the annual Monte Vista Crane Festival.
(Photo:
Courtesy of Matt Inden/Colorado Tourism
)

Birds fascinate us. Their striking bright colors. Their cheerful, comforting songs. The buzz of hummingbirds as they dart above you and attack the feeder hanging from your back porch.

More than 1 million Coloradans surveyed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011 classified themselves as bird-watchers.

The report, released in August of 2012, reported 47 million bird-watchers ages 16 or older in the United States, making bird-watching, or "birding," the second-fastest growing hobby in the country , after gardening.

Birders range from people who try to identify birds in their backyards to those who travel around the state or country in search of rare species.

And birding is a lucrative hobby: In 2011, birders spent an estimated $41 billion on trip-related expenditures and equipment, adding an estimated $107 billion to the economy, according to the report.

Colorado is a birder's paradise, with nearly 500 species recorded statewide.

According to the Colorado Birding Society, recent bird sightings in Larimer County include a greater scaup at City Park's Sheldon Lake, a Thayer's gull at Douglas Reservoir near Wellington, and a Barrow's goldeneye at Timnath Reservoir.

Many birds are in the midst of their migratory patterns, so early spring is a prime time for bird-watching in Colorado, from Larimer County's foothills to the Eastern Plains.

Read on for bird-watching tips, where to go and more resources.

Happy birding.

Six keys to identifying birds

• The size and shape of the bird is the first step to making an identification, not the bird's bright colors or behavior. Learn typical bird silhouettes, such as the long legs and long, spearlike bill of a heron; or the small, plump body of a plover. Sizewise, compare the size of the mystery bird to ones you know well.

• Focus on overall color pattern instead of matching every detail to the pictures in your field guide. Their appearance can vary if the bird is old or young, or by how well it had been eating last time it molted.

• So much of a bird's identity is evident in its behavior. Notice how your bird is sitting, how it's feeding or moving, whether it's in a flock, and if it has any nervous habits like flicking its wings or bobbing its tail.

• Knowing what habitats different birds prefer can help you narrow your bird choices. There are bird generalists like robins that you might see anywhere, but many bird species prefer a certain habitat. Learn from field guides which birds you might expect in different habitats.

• Check out the bird's field marks: distinctive stripes, spots, patterns, colors and highlights on different parts of the body such as the crown or breast. Ducks and shorebirds often show distinctive markings in flight, when their wings are spread and feathers are exposed.

• Experts can identify a bird by its distinct call. Watch and listen when you're in the field, talk with experienced birders and listen to recordings of birds online.

Located along West Mulberry Street. Sheldon Lake at City Park is excellent for waterfowl. Grandview Cemetery is located at the end of West Mountain Avenue on the northwest side of City Park. It offers a diverse number of bird species, especially woodpeckers.

Environmental Learning Center:

Walk the trees along the Poudre River for waterfowl, owls, hawks, flickers and a variety of songbirds. To access the property, follow Drake Road east of Timberline Road. Where the road curves south, turn north by the water treatment plant and look for the signs. The site includes outdoor Rocky Mountain Raptor Center cages that house eagles, owls and hawks.

Lee Martinez Park:

Located just west of College Avenue off North Mason Street. The Poudre Trail that runs along the north side of the park is good for owls, hawks, flickers and songbirds.

Fossil Creek Reservoir Regional Open Space:

Located along Larimer County Road 32 about 1 mile west of Interstate 25. It's a good place to see raptors, including osprey and a variety of waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds. And, bald eagles, at least until they migrate back north.

Pineridge Natural Area:

This city property off Larimer County Road 42C just past Hughes Stadium is home to more than 200 birds, including waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and songbirds. This is an excellent place to see warblers, in the tree grove on the north side of Dixon Reservoir, and orioles, on the east side of the reservoir.

Pawnee National Grassland:

This 21-mile tour located about an hour northeast of Fort Collins features grassland birds, migrant waterfowl and shorebirds. The tour begins in the Crow Valley Recreation Area and follows county roads through a variety of landscapes, ending at Colorado Highway 14 and County Road 61.

Six must-see birds

Northern goshawk:

This rare, short-winged forest hawk inhabits lowland pine forests. Check out the Arkansas River Valley or the canyons of the South Platte River to see one.

White-tailed ptarmigan:

These well-camouflaged high-mountain birds are difficult to see. But when you do find them, they generally allow you to get a good view of them. High mountain passes are good places to find them.

Mountain bluebird:

These iconic Colorado birds are as blue as the Rocky Mountain sky. Look for the meadow dwellers in spring, summer and fall. The foothills west of Fort Collins are a good place to look for them.

Western tanager:

These usually appear as a fleeting flash of gold, black and deep crimson in summer. Look for them in the foothills west of Fort Collins in the mountain mahogany shrubs, willow-lined streams and wooded areas.

Sandhill crane:

Tall, slender and steely-eyed, sandhill cranes are one of the state's most majestic birds. Follow their calls to the San Luis Valley in spring and fall or Steamboat Lake State Park in summer.

Burrowing owl:

Taking up residence in prairie dog colonies across Colorado, these yellow-eyed and fluffy owls can be seen most commonly on the Eastern Plains, including Pawnee National Grassland.

Source: Colorado Tourism

Join other birders

If you have an interest in bird-watching and learning from experts, here are two ways to get involved:

• The Fort Collins Audubon Society offers free birding field trips throughout the year, with the next planned trip April 13 to Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. Contact field trip coordinator, John Shenot at (970) 682-2551. Information: www.fortnet.org/Audubon.

• BirdingPal is an online birding community that plans birding trips with fellow Colorado birding enthusiasts. There are several Fort Collins-area members. Visit www.birdingpal.org/co.htm.

Xplore reporter Stephen Meyers covers the outdoors and recreation for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter @stemeyer or Facebook.com/meyersreports.

If you have an interest in bird-watching and learning from experts, here are two ways to get involved:

• The Fort Collins Audubon Society offers free birding field trips throughout the year, with the next planned trip April 13 to Bobcat Ridge Natural Area. Contact field trip coordinator, John Shenot at (970) 682-2551. Information: www.fortnet.org/Audubon.

• BirdingPal is an online birding community that plans birding trips with fellow Colorado birding enthusiasts. There are several Fort Collins-area members. Visit www.birdingpal.org/co.htm.